Grey Parrot at Gatorland – December 2017

The Grey Parrot today at Gatorland looked quite bright-eyed. This was taken straight from the camera, no editing, and loaded up on my Flickr Site. This is an experiment. Since so many photos disappeared off of WordPress, I am trying to see how placing them on Flickr might be a new option. [One problem: Can’t seem to center the photo. Stays on left.]

“The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.” (Luke 11:34-36 NKJV)

The Grey Parrot or African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) is an Old World parrot in the family Psittacidae. This article describes the Congo grey parrot. The Timneh parrot (Psittacus timneh) was earlier treated as conspecific but has since been split as a full species.

Grey parrots are monogamous breeders which nest in tree cavities. Each couple of parrots needs its own tree to nest. The hen lays three to five eggs, which she incubates for 30 days while being fed by her mate. The adults defend their nesting sites. Both parents help take care of the chicks until they can go off on their own. Grey parrot chicks require feeding and care from their parents in the nest. The parents take care of them until four or five weeks after they are fledged. Young leave the nest at the age of 12 weeks. Little is known about the courtship behavior of this species in the wild. They weigh between 12 and 14 g at hatching and between 372 and 526 g when they leave their parents.

They are mostly frugivorous; most of their diet consists of fruit, nuts, and seeds. The species prefers oil palm fruit and also eat flowers and tree bark, as well as insects and snails. In the wild, the grey is partly a ground feeder. In captivity, it can eat sunflower seeds, bird pellets, a variety of fruits such as pears, orange, pomegranate, apple, and banana, and vegetables such as carrots, cooked sweet potato, celery, fresh kale, peas, and green beans. They also need a source of calcium. [Wikipedia with editing]